Illuminated dial control



ug s. A. SHAPIRO ILLUMINATED DIAL CONTROL Filed Dec. 20. 1926 6m fl- 5HHP/fi0 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

. 4'5 to the dial control. The present application,

is directed mainly to the illuminat- Batented Aug. 16, 1927.

UNITED "STATES SA! A. SHAPIRO, 01 NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOB, BY'MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO

- ARTHUR DORSEY, OF NEW YOBK N. -Y.

ILLUMINATED DIAL QON'IROL.

Application filed December 20, 1926. Serial No. 155,987.

.tical construction, particularly adapted for use-with tuning units of radio and the like apparatus.

Another object of the invention is to provide a control for radio tuning devices of the character described in Which a trans- -lucen't' dial illuminated from the rear side thereof" is mounted with the tuning device vide an improved dial control acter described in the form of a compact ulenotes a on the rear side of the panel and operated from. the front side thereof, and simple means provided for,viewing the dial in such manner that the "control with the exception of its operatingknob is for the most part concealed from view.

1 A further object of the invention is to proof. the charunit adapted to be-mounted on the shaft of a tuning device on the rear of the control panel and having a vernier mechanism and electrically illuminating means for. the dial.

A still furtherobject of the invention is to provide a device of the which comprises few and simple parts, which may be easily assembled. into a compact, rugged unit adapted to be readily installed on the radio 'panel' and which shall be comparatively cheap .to manufacture, neat in appearance, and-efficient operation toa' high degree.

Other objects of'this invention will in' part 'be .obvious and pointed out.

In a co-pending application, Serial No.

in part hereinafter 155,968, filed Dec. 20, 1926, I have shown and described an illuminated dial control like that herein described and shown in the drawing but said co-pending application is directed particularly to attachment or coupling plates'for connecting the tuning unit however, Hing'means and the dial control mechanism and accordingly no claimis madeoherein' for the attachment or coupling plate, the latter being claimed cation, v

With the above exception, .the invention accordingly consists in the'features of con-, struction, combinations of-elements, and archara'cter described in my said co-pendin'gjappli- Y rangelnent of parts which will be exempliterconnect with, an adjustable condenser,-

parts of said control being broken away to show the construction thereof.

Fig. 2 is a rear elevational view of the control as seen from a cut taken on line 22 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a frontelevational view of the 7 improved dial control dismounted from the panel.

Referring in detail to the drawing, 10

front panel of a radio set which has mounted on the rear side thereof an illuminated dial control 11 embodying the invention .adapted to operate a tuning device, such as an adjustable condenser 12. As here shown, the dial control 11 is electrically lighted and is of the Vernier type, said control being mounted for turning the shaft l2 of the condenser 12 at a comparatively slow-speed relative to the speed of a manually operated knob 13.

' The control knob. 13 has a set screw 14 which secures it to the front end of a horizontally extending drive shaft 15 journaled in a sleeve bearing 16 which has its front threaded endl6 extended through an opening 10* provided in the front panel 10. Said threaded end 16 has a clamping nut 17 for rigidly securing the sleeve bearing to the panel, and serves as the main mounting for the control.

Rigidly fastened to the outside of the sleeve bearing 16 adjacent the inner end 16 and extending vertically upward, is an elongated frame bar 18. A mld-port-ion of said ar rotatably supports the rear end 19 of a hollow shaft 19 so that the latter extends'in garallel alignment with said bearing- 16.

aid shaft 19 is adapted to couple with. the shaft end 12* for turning the condenser rotor electrode 12 to adjust the capacity of the condenser. as to turn with the hollow shaft 19 by means 'ofa set screw 20 threaded into the latter.

The shaft end 12 is secured so I I internal gearing drive.

A frictional gear member 21 is secured to extend down from the hollow shaft 19 in front of the frame bar 18 and is adapted to engage with a drive wheel 22 mounted on the rear end of the shaft 15. .The gear mem ber 21' is preferably formed of a pair of discs 23 which are secured together by means of rivets 24 spaced adjacent the periphery of said member as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Said member 21 has an arcuately shaped opening 21 extending through the midportion thereof, the outer rim edge 21" of said opening being concentrically curved with respect to the axis of rotation of'the mounting of said member 21 on the hollow shaft 19. As will be seen from Fig. 1, the drive wheel 22 has a peripheral portion 22 of V- shaped. cross section which is inserted between the plates 23 at said rim edge 21" and serves as a wedge to form a spring frictional The opening 21 is shaped to accommodate the rear sleeve bearing end 16 the latter being slotted at 16 to permit unobstructed cooperation between the drive wheel 22 with the gear member 21. The ends of the opening 21 serve as stops for limiting the rotation of the member 21 and hollow shaft -19 preferably to half a revolution forpermitting the adjustment of the condenser from maximum ,to minimum capacity in the Well understood manner.

Extending upwardly from the front end of the hollow shaft 19 and firmly secured thereto by means of aclamping nut 25 is a carrier plate 26 to the peripheral portion of which is secured a semi-circular graduated dial 23 positioned adjacent the rear side of the panel 10. Said dial may be made of any translucent material, such as celluloid, glass or other suitable substance and may be attached to the carrier plate 26 in any suitable manner as by cementing or by means of rivets 27, as shown. For observing the dial from the front of the panel, an opening 10 is provided in the panel 10. Said opening has fitted therein a window frame 29 which may be of any suitable construction, and may, for example, be made of stamped sheet metal formmlwiih a frame portion 29f? which extends through and about the front rim of the opening 10 and has rearwardly extending prongs 29 for engaging a transparent sheet 29 forming a closure for said, opening, as is clearly shown in Fig. 1. A

suitable marker in the form of a vertically extending cross wire 30 may be provided in the window to facilitate reading the dial setting.

For illuminating the dial from the rear side thereof, a miniature electric .bulb 31 is dependingly carried in the shell socket 32 which is suitably insulated and mounted on a bent horizontally extending portion 18 of the frame bar 18. Said socket 32 is connected to a suitable power source (not shown) and preferably has' a suitable control switch 33 in circuit therewith, As here shown,-said switch 33 may befof the push and pull type and comprises a threaded body portion 33' which is firmly secured to the upper vertical end 18 of the frame member-"18 and extends through an opening 10 provided in the panel 10. Said threaded body portion 33 has a nut 34 mounted 011 the front end thereof for clamping the panel 10 and anchoring the upper endof the frame bar 18 in position to the rear side of said panel. Said switch body portion carries a reciprocating plunger 35, the front end of which is provided with a finger-piece 35, the rear end thereof having a tapered insulating head 35". The latter cooperates with a projecting end 36 of a spring blade 36 secured to the frame bar '18' on aninsulating support-37 by means of screws 38, as is clearly shown in Fig. 1.

For connecting the lamp and switch in circuit with the power source, terminal posts 39 and 40 are provided connecting with the spring blade-36 andthe socket 32, respectively. It is apparent that when the switch parts are positioned as shown in Fig. 1, the lamp circuit is open and on pulling the switch plunger 35 forward the insulating head depresses the blade and brings the latter into contact with the center terminal 31 of'the lamp 31, thus closing the circuit for lighting the lamp. v a

The frame or stator of the condenser 12 is fixedly secured in position to the frame bar 18 by an interconnecting attachment or coupling plate 41 which carries an adjustablepin 42 whereof a forwardly projecting end 42? engages in an elongated slot 18 provided in the framebar 18. Where the condenser 12 is constructed for one-hole mounting and is provided with a supporting disc 43 on the bearing'of the shaft 12 of the rotor elect/rode, as shown in Fig. 1,

said plate has one end portion thereof firmly clamped against the disc 43 by means of a nut 44 and is provided with a clearance opening 41 through which said condenser shaft 12" freely passes. The opening 41 v may be madesufficiently large to accommomentof the pin 42. therein, the latter be-' ing mounted on the plate 41 in any suitable manner, as by means of the lock nuts 45.

The construction described above including the plate 41 permits the securing of the stator of the condenser 12 in any angular position relative to the bar 18 and the panel '10 by adjusting the pin 42 between the slots 41 and 18: of the plate 41 and the member 18, respectively. To prevent possible loose jen-gagement between the pin end 42 in the lifi slot 18", the outer surface of said pin end;

may be knurled with raised surface projections to afford a simple fo'rcedfit of the pm end 42 in the slot 18. It should be noted that the interconnecting means between the .ing the plunger 35 forward. The dial graduations 28 which occupy a semi-circular section may be observed through the transparent window closure 29. The condenser 12 may be adjusted by turning the knob 13 for rotatingthe wheel 22 which engages 'with the frictional gear 21,- the latter being effective to turn the hollow shaft 19 together with the condenser rotor 12 secured to rotate therewith. The rotation of the hollow shaft carries the dial past the window so that any setting of the condenser may be determined by noting the graduation 28 at the cross-wire or marker 30 in the usual manner. Terminating each end of the graduations 28" on the dial, there may be provided an indicia 46 preferably of a color contrasting with that ofthe dial background and the graduations so as to indicate the maximum and minimum range of the de- Vice. .1! or example, where the dial is white and the graduation black, said indicia 46 ma bered.

, t will thus be seen that there is .provided a device in which the several objects of this invention are achieved, and which is well' adapted to meet thec onditions of practical As various made'of the a ove invention, and as various changes might be made in the embodiment 50.

accompanying drawing is to be interpreted as illustrative and not ina limiting sense. ,Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters atent:

1, A device of the character described comprising a panel, and control means adapted to'operate a tuning device mounted on the rearslde of the panel, said means including a drive shaftextcnding through the panel adapted .to bemanipulated from the front,

side thereof, a dial mounted at the rear of the panel-and adaptedto move with said device, and a light for the dial mounted at the possible embodiments might be rear of the panel, said panel having, a window for observing the dial from the front .of the panel. v

2. A control means of the character described including a member adapted to support said control means on the rear side of a panel, coupling means journaled 1n said member one end of said'coupling member being adapted to engage with a radio tuning device, a dial carried at the other end of said coupling means, a light secured to said member for illuminatingthe dial, and means for turning said coupling, means and dial adapted 'to bemanipulated from the front side of the panel.

3. A control means of the character describedincluding a member adapted to sup port said control means on the rear side of a panel, coupling means journaled in said member, one end ofsaid coupling means be ing adapted to engage With a radi0 tuning.

device, a translucent dial carried. at the.

other end of said coupling means, anelectric light secured to said member for illuminating the dial from the rear side thereof, and means for turning said coupling means and dial, said turning means adapted toextend through the panel and serve to rigidly secure the control means tothe latter.

4. A control means: of the character do scribed including a member adapted to support said control means on the rear side of a panel, coupling means journaled insaid member, one end of said coupling means being adapted to engage with a radio tunin device, a translucent dialca'rried on the ot er end of said coupling means, an elec-' tric light secured to said member for illumimeans and switch extending through the panel and servingtorigidly secure the control means to .the latter.

5. A device of the character. described rear sideofthe panel, a drive shaft for said control means extending through the panel adapted to be manipulated from'the front sldethereof, saldcontrol means including a dial having graduations adapted to move with said device, and alight for the dial, said panel havinga window for observing the dial from the'front-side ofthe panel, said dial having indicia. extending beyond the graduations for indicating the window the extreme limits of movement of said control means.

a 6. .In a controlimeans-ofthe character described adapted to operate aradiotuning mounted to move with the tuning device, and an electric light positioned behind the dial for illuminating the latter, said dial having indicia extending beyond the graduations for-indicatingv the extreme limits of movement of said control means.

7. A device of the ,character described comprising a panel and a control means adapted to operate a tuning device mounted on the rear side of the panel, said means including a reducing gear drive having a shaft extending through the panel adapted to be manipulated from the front side thereof, a dial adapted to be moved with said device, and a light for the dial, said panel having a window for observing the dial from the front of the panel;

8. A device of the character described comprising a panel and control means adapted to operate a tuning device mounted on the rear side of the panel. said means including a reducing gear drive having a shaft extending through the panel adapted to be manipulated from the front side thereof, a dial, an electric light for the dial, and a switch extending through the panel for controlling said light from the front side thereof, said panel having a window for observing the dial from the front side of the panel. r p

9. A control means of the character described including a member adapted to support said control means on the rear side of a panel, coupling meansjournaled in said member, one end of the coupling means behaving ing adapted to engage with a radio tuning device, a dialcarried 0n the other end of said coupling means, a light secured to-the member forilluminating said dial, and a Vernier drive engaging with said coupling an operating shaft ported by said member, one of said coupling means being adapted to engage with a radio tuning device, a translucent dial carried on the other end of said coupling means, an

illuminating the. dial fromv the rear side thereof, a vermer drive engaging wlth said couplmg means having an operating shaft extending through'the panel adapted to be manipuelectric light secured to said member for extending through the panel adapted to be manipulated from the front side thereof for rotatmg the coupl'ing means and dial at a reduced rate of speed, a journal bearing on one end of said member for said shaft, and a switch for the electric light on the other end of said member, said bearing and switch extending through the panel and serving to rigidly secure the control means to the latter.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

SAM A. .SHAPIRO. 

